Cloth-holding device for buttonhole attachments



Oct. 30,1951 H. N. JOHNSON 2,573,146

CLOTH-HOLDING DEVICE FOR BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENTS Filed Nov 12, 1949 attorneys Patented Oct. 30, 1951 CLOTH-HOLDING DEVICE FOR BUTTON- HOLE ATTACHMENTS Harry N. Johnson, New Haven, Conn, assignor to The Greist Manufacturing Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 12, 1949, Serial No. 126,738

9 Claims. 1 This invention relates to sewing-machine atta'chments and more particularly to a clothholding device for certain of such attachments,

or a means to prevent the cloth being pulled upwardly by the needl when it is withdrawn from the cloth, or other material being sewed, upon the upward movement of the needle bar.

As illustrated, the invention is applied to a buttonhole attachment designed to be attached to the usual household sewing machine after removal of the usual presser foot, the attachment being secured to the usual presser bar. In the use of certain of these attachments, such for example as a device for stitching buttonholes. where the feeding foot must be provided with a relatively large slot through which the needle operates, difficulty is sometimes encountered in that the cloth which is being sewed will tend to "blouse or be drawn upwardly with the upward movement of the needle. This is due to the fact that'the edges of the slot in the feeding foot do not lie closely adjacent the needle and, therefore, cannot hold the cloth downwardly upon the machine bed at points close to the needle.

It is contemplated by the present invention to provide a movable cloth-holding member which will be carried by the attachment and which is provided with a holding foot, or end portion, which will lie relatively close to the needle. This member is actuated or moved by the fork arm, or some other movable part of the attachment, so that when the fork arm descends to drive the needle through the material being sewed the forward or operating end of the holding member will be moved downwardly against the cloth or material and will remain in this position during the initial portion of the upward movement of the needle. Thus, the holding member will prevent the lifting of the cloth by the needle until the latter is loosened from the material. at which time, the holding member will be raised from the cloth to permit release of the latter for the feeding operation.

In other words, while the cloth is held down against the bed when the needle begins its upward stroke so that it will be loosened from the cloth and not draw the latter upwardly with it, the cloth will be released after the needle is drawn therefrom so that it will not be gripped or held during the feeding movements of the cloth and, therefore, will not interfere with these feeding movements. The hold-down device being actuated from the fork arm or some other movable part of the device which is in turn actuated by the fork arm, will be synchronized in its movement with that of the needle bar and with the feed mechanism so as not to interfere with the normal sewing operations. 7

One object of the present invention is to provide a cloth-holding device for a sewing-machine attachment such as a buttonhole attachment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cloth-holding attachment for a buttonhole or similar sewing-machine attachment which will engage the cloth being sewedand hold the same against blousing, but at the same time release the cloth so as not to interfere with the proper feeding of the latter.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a buttonhole or similar sewing-machine attachment with a cloth-holding device comprising a lever pivoted within'the adapter by which the attachment is secured to the presser bar of the machine so that the lever projects forwardl substantially centrally of the attachment.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a cloth-holding device for a buttonhole or similar sewing-machine attachment as described in the preceding paragraph, the cloth-holding lever having an off-set portion directed rearwardly from its pivot which is engaged and actuated by a pin carried by the fork arm of the attachment.

To 'theseand other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a buttonhole attachment having my cloth-holding device applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of th same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the forward portion of the attachment as shown in Fig. 3 with the main cam wheel removed;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cloth-holding lever and r 'Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rear portion of the fork arm showing the actuating pin thereon.

As illustrated in the drawings, the buttonhole attachment comprises a frame HI having a base plate I lrupon the under side of which is mounted a feed blade I2. The feed blade is pivoted to the plate by the pivot pin 13, which pin is slidable in the slot [4 in the plate I I so as to adjust the position of the pivot pin and thereby adjust the lateral throw of the forward portion of the feed blade. The pivot pin l3 may be adjusted in'the slot by means of the adjusting arm l5 attached to the pivot pin at its forward end and provided adjacent its rear end with a. plurality of teeth I6 designed to be engaged with the flanged edge I! of a housing member l8 mounted upon the frame.

Secured to the feed blade [2 is an endless rack member 20, the teeth of which are engaged by those'of a pinion 2i mounted upon a shaft 22, which shaft is rotatably mounted in a housing 23' carried by an actuating lever Zlpivoted at 25 upon the frame plate H.

The rack member 29 may be held in place by a cover plate 26 pivoted to the frame at 21 and forward end of this lever is provided a pin or roller 3|] which acts as a cam follower and is disposed in the cam track 3| of a cam wheel 32, this cam wheel being secured to a shaft 33ro-- tatably mounted in spaced upstanding frame members 34 which may be formed integrally with a plate 35 riveted or otherwise secured to the base plate Also secured to the members 34 is an adapter 36 by which the device may be secured to the presser bar of a sewing machineafter the presser foot has been removed.

t will be obvious from the above arrangement that when the cam wheel 32 is rotated, the lever 24 will be oscillatedas' will also the pinion 2| carried thereby, and the engagement of this pinion with the teeth of the rack 20 will effect oscillation of the feed blade and thereby effect lateral movements of the work due to the fact that a feeding foot 31 is carried at the forward end of the feed blade i2. As' shown in Fig. 2, this feeding foot is provided with a relatively large oblong opening 38 through which the needle is designed to operate and this foot may be roughened as shownat 33 onits lower face so as to properly engage and move the material which is being sewed.

Secured to the shaft 33 is a ratchet wheel 40, the teeth of which are engaged by a pawl 4| pivoted at 42 to a fork arm 43 loosely mounted upon the shaft 33, this pawl being urged into engagement with the ratchet wheel by the spring 44. The fork arm 43 is provided with. a bifurcated end 45 designed to be engaged with the needle bar of the sewing machine so that the arm 43 will be reciprocated upon reciprocation of the needle bar. This will effect step-by-step rotation of the ratchet wheel 40-, and, therefore, of the shaft 33, and of the cam wheel 32 secured to this shaft. As has already been described, rotation of the. cam wheel will effect lateral oscillationof the lever 24-and lateral feeding movements of the work.

Secured to the shaft 22- is a ratchet wheel 41, the teeth of which are adapted to intermittently engage a resilient pawl 48 fixed to-the frame upon oscillation of the lever 24. The engagement of the teeth of the-ratchet by the pawl 48 during lateral movements of the lever 24 will effect stepby-step rotation of the shaft 22 and, therefore, of the pinion 2| carried thereby. This step-bysteprotation of the pinion 2|, by its engagement withtheteeth of the rack 20, causes longitudinal movementsof the feed blade |2 to whichthe rack is secured, so as toefi'ect longitudinal movements of thecloth for proper oblong stitching around the buttonhole.

The operation. of the parts above described is substantially likethat of the device shown in the Almuuist Patent No. 2,482,607, granted SeptemberZO, 1949, so'thatno further description thereof is believed to be necessary. It will be apparent, however, that upon oscillation of the fork arm 43 by the needle bar of the sewing machine the mechanism will cause the material engaged by the feeding foot 31 to be moved laterally and at the same time feed longitudinally so that it will travel in a generally oblong path and effect a line of zig-zag stitches at each side of the buttonhole.

As illustrated, the adapter 36 is provided with a recess 5| within which the presser bar of the sewing machine is received to be secured by the set screw 52. The adapter isalso provided, as

shown. inFigs- 3 and 4, with a substantially centrallydisposed downwardly-opening slot 54, within which is disposed the cloth-holding lever 7:: the rear end of the lever to rise and the forward designated generally by the numeral 55, this lever being pivoted at 56 to the adapter.

The lever 55 comprises a portion 51 extending forwardly of the pivot 56 and provided with a downwardly-extending cloth-holding foot 58 projecting into the elongated slot 38 of the feeding foot. Rearwardly of the pivot 56, the lever 55 is provided with an off-set rearwardly-directed end 59, this part being joined to the part 51 by a laterally extending portion 60.

The rearward or tail portion 59 of the lever 55 is provided with a cam surface 6| terminating in a high point 62 and forwardly of this-point is an arcuate portion 63. This portion of the lever is adapted to be engaged by a pin 64 mounted upon the rear end of the fork arm 43, this pin extending through an arcuate-slot 65 in the upstanding frame member 34 which is adjacent the fork arm. The slot 65 is described substantially about the center of the shaft 33' and the arcuate portion 63 on the portion 59 of the lever 55 is described on a radius substantially about thesame center.

From the above, it will be apparent that, during' oscillation of the fork arm, the pin 64 will ride up the inclined surface 6| on the lever 55 thus raising the cloth-holding foot 58. When, however, the pin 64 passes the high point 62, it will engage the arcuate surface 63 which, as has been stated, constitutes an are about the center of the shaft 33 upon which the fork arm is pivoted so that, while the pin is in engagement with thearcuate surface 63, there will be no movement of the lever 55. In other words, this arcuate portion constitutes a dwell maintaining the cloth-- holding foot 58 in its upper'position.

A spring 66 is mounted within a recess 61 in theadapter 36, this spring acting upon the. upper edge of the forward portion 5'! of the lever 55 so as to normally urge the holding foot 58 downwardly against the cloth or material being sewed whenever this-is permitted by the position of the pin 64-.

As shown in Fig. 4, the fork arm is substantially at the lower end of its stroke and the pin 64 is substantially at the upper rear end of the slot 65 and is in contact with the cam surface 6| of the lever 55, permitting the forward end of thislever to be urged downwardly by the spring 66 in contact with the cloth or material being sewed. The fork arm 43 may be permitted a slight further downward movement but, if the holding foot 58 is in contact with the material, no further movement of this foot will take place. As the fork arm starts upwardly, the pin 64 rides over the cam-surface 6| of the tail portion 59- of the lever 55, thus depressingtherear end of this lever and. raising the holding foot 58 from the material so asto release the latter for a subsequent feeding operation.v During the time that the holding foot is in engagement with the material, the needle has been withdrawn therefrom andthe holding foot prevents the cloth being drawn upwardly with the needle and thusprevents blousing of the material.

As the pin 64 rides over the high point 62 and engages the arcuate surface 63, it will raise the holding foot. 58 to the maximum extent and thus the cloth will be free for the feeding operation; the arcuate dwell portion 63 of the lever serving to hold the foot upwardly until upon a return: or downward stroke of the fork arm, the pin 64 rides over the high point 62 and into engagement with the cam portion 6|, thus again permitting end of the lever to be urged downwardly by the spring 66.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a fork arm pivoted thereon, a feeding foot movably connected to the frame and having an elongated needle opening therein, an adapter on the forward portion of the frame for attachment to the presser bar of the sewing machine, a lever pivoted on the adapter and extending forwardly therefrom and having a downwardly-projecting cloth-holding foot at its forward end overlying the opening in the feeding foot, and means on said fork arm to engage and move said lever.

2. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a fork arm pivoted thereon, a feeding foot movably connected to the frame and having an elongated needle opening therein, an adapter on the forward portion of the frame for attachment to the presser bar of the sewing machine, a lever pivoted on the adapter and extending forwardly therefrom and having a downwardly-projecting cloth-holding foot at its forward end overlying the opening in the feeding foot, said lever having a tail portion extending rearwardly of its pivot, and a projecting member on the fork arm to engage the tail portion of the lever and move the same.

3. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a fork arm pivoted thereon, an adapter on the forward portion of the frame for attachment to the presser bar of the sewing machine, a lever pivoted on the adapter and extending forwardly therefrom and having a downwardly-projecting cloth-holding foot at its forward end, means on said fork arm to engage and move said lever, and a spring carried by the adapter and engaging the lever to urge said foot downwardly.

4. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a fork arm pivoted thereon, a feeding foot movably connected to the frame and having an elongated needle opening therein, an adapter on the forward portion of the frame for attachment to the presserbar of the sewing machine, a lever pivoted on the adapter and extending forwardly therefrom and having a downwardly-projecting cloth-holding foot at its forward end overlying the opening in the feeding foot, said lever having a tail portion extending rearwardly of its pivot, and a laterally projecting pin on said fork arm engaging the tail portion of the lever to move the same.

5. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a fork arm pivoted thereon, an adapter on the forward portion of the frame for attachment to the presser bar of the sewing machine, a lever pivoted on the adapter and extending forwardly therefrom and having a downwardly-projecting cloth-holding foot at its forward end, said lever having a tail portion extending rearwardly of its pivot, said tail portion having a cam surface on its upper edge adjacent the rear end thereof, and means on said fork arm to engage said surface and move said lever in a direction to move said foot upwardly.

6. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a fork arm pivoted thereon, an adapter on the forward portion of the frame for attachment to the presser bar of the sewing machine, a lever pivoted on the adapter and extending forwardly therefrom and having a downwardly-projecting cloth-holding foot at its forward end, said lever having a tail portion extending rearwardly of its pivot, said tail portion having a cam surface on its upper edge adjacent the rear end thereof, means on said fork arm to engage said surface and move said lever in a direction to move said foot upwardly, said adapter having a recess therein, and a spring mounted in said recess and engaging the lever forwardly of its pivot to urge the foot downwardly.

'7. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a pair of spaced upstanding members thereon, a shaft rotatably mounted in said members, a fork arm pivoted on the shaft adjacent the outer face of one of said members, an adapter on the forward portion of the frame for attachment to the presser bar of a sewing machine, a lever pivoted on the adapter substantially centrally of the frame and extending forwardly of its pivot, said lever having a downwardly-extending clothengaging foot at its forward end and a tail portion rearwardly of its pivot, said tail portion being off-set from the forwardly-extending portion to lie adjacent the inner surface of said one upstanding member, an arcuate slot in said member, and a pin secured to said fork arm and extending through said slot to engage the tail portion of said lever to actuate the same.

8. A sewing-machine attachment comprising a frame, a pair of spaced upstanding members thereon, a shaft rotatably mounted in said members, a fork arm pivoted on the shaft adjacent the outer face of one of said members, an adapter on the forward portion of the frame for attachment to the presser bar of a sewing machine, a lever pivoted on the adapter substantially centrally of the frame and extending forwardly of its pivot, said lever having a downwardly-extending clothengaging foot at its forward end and a tail portion rearwardly of its pivot, said tail portion being off-set from the forwardly-extending portion to lie adjacent the inner surface of said one upstanding member, an arcuate slot in said member, a pin secured to said fork arm and extending through said slot to engage the tail portion of said lever to actuate the same, and a spring carried by the adapter and engaging said lever forwardly of its pivot to urge the foot portion downwardly.

9. A sewing machine attachment comprising a frame, a fork arm pivoted thereon, an adapter on the forward portion of the frame for attachment to the presser bar of the sewing machine, a lever pivoted on the adapter to extend forwardly therefrom and having a downwardly-projecting cloth-engaging foot at its forward end, a feeding foot movably connected to the frame and having an elongated opening therein into which said cloth-engaging foot extends, means on the fork arm to engage and move said lever in one y direction and a spring acting against the fork arm to move it in the opposite direction.

HARRY N. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

